Louisiana Eyes Conference Title Against Appalachian State

LAFAYETTE – In what has already been one of the most successful seasons in program history, Louisiana looks to check off another one of its goals on Saturday when it plays for the Sun Belt Conference Championship in Boone, N.C., against Appalachian State.

Having known the matchup for two weeks after the Ragin' Cajuns clinched their spot in the game with a 53-3 rout of Troy on Nov. 23, the team is looking to avenge its 17-7 loss to the Mountaineers which came at home on Oct. 9.

This will be the second-straight meeting between the two programs in the conference finale, the first coming a year ago in Boone, a game which Appalachian State won, 30-19. A victory in the game would not only be Louisiana's first win over App State, but its first Sun Belt title since the 2005 season.

Who: Louisiana (10-2, 7-1 SBC) vs. (20/21) Appalachian State (11-1, 7-1 SBC)
Where: Kidd Brewer Stadium – Boone, N.C.
When: Saturday, Dec. 7 – 11 a.m. (CST)
Watch: ESPN
On the Call: Clay Matvick (play-by-play), Ryan Leaf (color)
Listen: ESPN1420
On the Call: Jay Walker (play-by-play), Chris Lanaux (color), Cody Junot (sideline)
All-Time Series: Appalachian State Leads, 7-0-0
Last Meeting: Oct. 9, 2018 (Appalachian State Won, 17-7)

Game Notes:
Win, Win, Win, Win
• With its 31-30 victory over ULM in the regular season finale on Nov. 30, Louisiana clinched its first 10-win season in program history.
• The win was the team's seventh Sun Belt victory of the season, also a program high.
• After it defeated Troy (Nov. 23), the team clinched its first nine-win season since 1976 and just the fourth overall in program history.

How the West Was Won
• For the second-straight season, the Ragin' Cajuns claimed the title of Sun Belt West Division Champions after putting together a complete team performance in a 53-3 rout of Troy at Cajun Field on Saturday, Nov. 23.
• It was all Louisiana from start to finish after it compiled 598 yards of total offense and scored 53 points, the second-highest point total of the season and the most against a conference opponent since scoring 55 against Arkansas State on Oct. 21, 2014.
• Louisiana will face Appalachian State in the Sun Belt Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 11 a.m. on ESPN. Home field advantage for the game will come down to App State's result at Troy and Louisiana's result against ULM.

Offensive Elites
• Through 12 games in 2019, Louisiana ranks eighth in country and leads the conference in total offense per game (500.3) and 12th in the nation in scoring offense (38.8).
• Louisiana has 6,004 yards of total offense on the season, one of nine schools in the country with more than 6,000 yards on the year and the only team in the Sun Belt.

Firing on All Cylinders
• The ability to consistently move the chains has to do with the big plays created by the Louisiana offense. The Ragin' Cajuns are currently 11th in the nation with 201 plays of 10+ yards.
• Louisiana is also 7th with 72 plays of 20 or more yards.
• Of those big plays, Louisiana is third nationally in rushing plays for 10+ yards (105), sixth in rushing plays of 20+ yards (33), and tied for 10th in rushing plays of 30+ yards (16).
• The team is also one of two schools with at least four rushes of 70+ yards and the only school with three rushes of 80 or more yards.

Rushing Game on Top
• With Louisiana's 252 yards on the ground against ULM on Saturday, Nov. 30, the team has upped its season total to 3,290 yards, the sixth most in the country.
• Louisiana currently leads the nation in yards per attempt, averaging 6.55 yards per carry.
• Louisiana has scored 40 rushing touchdowns this season, the third most in the country behind Navy (48) and Army (44).
• The 40 scores are the third most in Sun Belt history behind the Georgia Southern's 55 (2014) and 54 (2015).
• The Ragin' Cajuns rank sixth in average yards per game, tallying 274.2 yards on the ground.
• The Ragin's Cajuns have rushed for over 300 yards in three games this season.
• Louisiana has had four different 100-yard rushers this year, one of seven teams in country to have at least four.

1,000-Yard Performers
• After tallying 102 yards against ULM on Nov. 30, Elijah Mitchell became the first back this season to rush for over 1,000 yards with 1,007.
• Mitchell is the sixth Ragin' Cajun in program history to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season, joining Tyrell Fenroy, Elijah McGuire, Michael Desormeaux, Brian Mitchell and Trey Ragas.
Mitchell is 174 yards shy of fifth all-time for rushing yards in a season, held by his currently teammate, Trey Ragas (1,181 in 2018).
• Fenroy eclipsed the mark four times and holds the school record for most rush yards in a season with 1,375, while Elijah McGuire went for over 1,000 yards three times.
• With two games remaining in 2019, Raymond Calais (818) is 182 yards shy of the 1,000-yard mark, while Trey Ragas (777) is 223 yards shy.

Lewis Tossing the Ball Around the Yard
• Levi Lewis has continued to impress during his junior season, having throw for 2,450 yards with a 65.4 completion percentage (200-for-306) and has notched 20 touchdowns to just three interceptions.
• Lewis has gone 135 attempts without an interception since the Arkansas State game on Oct. 17, the fourth-longest active streak in the country.
• The junior etched his name in the Louisiana record books during the team's game against ULM, becoming just the fourth player in program history to throw for at least 20 touchdowns in a single season after tossing three against the Warhawks.
• Lewis had a career night against Coastal Carolina on Nov. 7, setting career bests in passing yards (296), completitions (26) and touchdowns (3).
• Lewis finished the game against the Chanticleers 26-of-30 through the air for a completion percentage of 86.7 percent, setting a new school record for a single game.
• Lewis opened the 2019 season throwing 267 yards with 24 completions on 39 attempts against Mississippi State on Saturday, Aug. 31.
• Lewis' 267 passing yards is the most against a Power 5 school since Blaine Gautier threw for 315 yards against Arizona on Nov. 26, 2011.
• Furthermore, Lewis' 267 passing yards is the most in an opener since Chris Mason opened the season throwing for 283 yards against Southern on Sept. 5, 2009.

Bradley Continues to Dominate
• Ja'Marcus Bradley has produced 760 receiving yards on 48 catches, ranking him fifth in the Sun Belt.
• Bradley has also brought in seven touchdowns on the year, good for fourth in league.
• Bradley had his 34-game reception streak snapped after not recording a catch against Texas State.
• Bradley had one of the best receiving seasons in school history in 2018. The Ackerman, Miss. native, caught a team-high 10 touchdowns and added 608 yards.
• Bradley's 10 touchdowns were the most by a receiver since the 1996 season. He also had a tremendous performance against South Alabama catching three touchdowns. Not only did that tie the most single game touchdowns among wide receivers in school history, it was also the most TDs caught in a single game since Jason Cherry nabbed a three-piece against North Texas in 2008.
• In his career, Bradley now has 2,213 total yards, good for fifth all-time.

Lockdown Defense
• Louisiana has been superb on defense this season, holding opponents to just 17.83 points per contest in 2019. That 17.83 points allowed ranks tied for 11th in FBS and first in the Sun Belt Conference.
• Prior to the victory over ULM, Louisiana held its last nine opponents to less than 30 points and have held three of those opponents to less than 10 points.

Shaving Off the Points
• Louisiana is the most improved team in the FBS in terms of opponents points per game when comparing last season to this season, improving by 16.4 ppg.
• The Ragin' Cajuns rank ahead of Illinois (14), Ohio State (13.7) Baylor (13.3) and Oregon State (13.2) this season in that category.

Byrns-ing the Competition
• Rhys Byrns is averaging 44.1 yards per punt this year, which has him on pace to set the school record and currently leads the Sun Belt. The current school record is 42.9, set by Daniel Cadona during the 2014 campaign.
• Byrns had a career game against Appalachian State on Oct. 9, recording four, 50+-yard punts. He also put four punts inside the 20-yard line, another career high.
• Following his performance against App State, he was named the Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Week.
• Byrns set a career high for his longest punt in Louisiana's victory over Ohio on Sept. 21, by booting the ball 70 yards.
• His success has come despite limited action. The sophomore has had two games this season where he punted just once and was not utilized in Louisiana's dominant victories over Texas Southern on Sept. 14 and Coastal Carolina on Nov. 7.
Kenneth, We Have A Kickoff
• First-year kicker Kenneth Almendares has been successful on kickoff duty this season, recording touchbacks on 38 of his 82 attempts.
• The redshirt freshman had his name called 12 times against Texas Southern, notching seven touchbacks and totaling 722 yards.

Field Goal Master
• Stevie Artigue knocked through the game winning field goal against ULM on Nov. 30, upping his career total to 50 made kicks.
• Artigue has now made 12-straight field goals, six makes shy of the longest streak in program history.
• After his three makes at South Alabama, Artigue broke the record for the most field goals made in a career at 46, surpassing the previous record of 45 held by Brett Baer (2010-12) and John Roveto (1977-79).

Louisiana Eyes Conference Title Against Appalachian State

Players Mentioned

Kenneth Almendares

Stevie Artigue

Ja'Marcus Bradley

Rhys Byrns

Daniel Cadona

Raymond Calais

Levi Lewis

Elijah McGuire

Elijah Mitchell

Trey Ragas

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